grain of salt

noun phrase

variants or less commonly pinch of salt
: a skeptical attitude
used in the phrase take (something) with a grain/pinch of salt
… autobiographies should be taken with a grain of salt.Judith Rich Harris

Examples of grain of salt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Presales for Backrooms — and take this with a grain of salt — are on the level of Scream 7 per distribution sources. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 27 May 2026 If the interviewer replies that no urgent issues ever come up - take that with a grain of salt. Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026 Take this all with a grain of salt, because this isn’t the only section that could completely go against the grain. Ava Wallace, New York Times, 21 May 2026 So take the advice with a grain of salt. Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 19 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for grain of salt

Word History

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grain of salt was in 1647

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Cite this Entry

“Grain of salt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grain%20of%20salt. Accessed 29 May. 2026.

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